Cleveland mulls skywalks as other cities shun them

CLEVELAND -- Once seen as futuristic addition to urban landscapes, skywalks have become a sore point for many cities.

In the past three years, Cincinnati has ripped down three of its overhead walkways, and Baltimore is razing little-used connectors that take pedestrians away from sidewalks.

And in Minneapolis, which has 8 miles of the walkways, politicians and business leaders are struggling with how to lead customers and retailers to the ground.

Cleveland, on the other hand, is looking to install skywalks - a plan that has drawn critics who say the city is thinking backwards.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the city is backing plans for a second-story walkway between the new Horseshoe Casino Cleveland and a parking garage, and supports the idea of a bridge between a remade hotel complex and the convention center.